


Work/Date Balance

by Starrie_Wolf



Series: Te wo Tsunaide [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: And then there be London, Captain!Urahara, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Jack the Ripper - Freeform, Lieutenant!Ichigo, M/M, Post-TYBW, Vacation, When in doubt: Hollows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21833992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrie_Wolf/pseuds/Starrie_Wolf
Summary: Kisuke doesn't seem to really grasp the meaning of adate, but it's okay, Ichigo loves him anyway.“So… are you doing your usual fainting damsel imitation, or shall I take care of it?”(Interlude during their vacation in London.)
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke
Series: Te wo Tsunaide [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573243
Comments: 10
Kudos: 392
Collections: UraIchi Prompt Challenge #4





	Work/Date Balance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CheshireCaine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireCaine/gifts).



> UraIchi Prompt Challenge #4  
> Prompt: 033. Vacation
> 
> Yuletide Gift  
> Prompt: UraIchi

“So…” Ichigo trails off.

Kisuke hums to show that he’s sort-of listening, but he’s peering down at his denreishinki. Ichigo has no idea when Kisuke installed Google Maps on his denreishinki, or even how Kisuke found out what is Google Maps in the first place.

“I’m not sure you understand the concept of a _date_ here,” he continues anyway. Kisuke’s capable of multitasking. “Inviting me to the crime scenes of a series of murders isn’t exactly date material.”

“But we’re spending time together,” Kisuke has the gall to retort, lifting his brows in apparent confusion. “Besides, I thought you liked British history.”

“Yes, _history_ , not…” Ichigo trails off, shaking the brochure he’s holding. “Just… why a _Jack the Ripper_ walking tour, of all things?”

It’s not that Ichigo has anything against joining a tour conducted in spoken English, or exploring London on foot. In fact, had it been on any other subject-matter, Ichigo thinks he would’ve quite enjoyed the chance to tuck himself against Kisuke in deference to the cold, their hands entwined as they walk down narrow cobblestoned streets.

Just… why did Kisuke pick a series of unsolved murders? Don’t they spend enough of their lives waist-deep in death already?

Kisuke lowers his denreishinki. “I can… cancel it?” he asks uncertainly. It’s clear that he doesn’t truly get why Ichigo’s objecting, but the fact that he’s happy to go along with Ichigo’s preferences anyway means a lot to him.

“No, it’s fine.” Ichigo shoves his hands into his coat pockets, setting off along the sidewalk. “We’re here already, aren’t we?”

It’s not like Ichigo’s scared of a serial killer from the eighteen-hundreds, or of gruesome injuries in general. He has to attend to worse from the Eleventh Division every other week or so. Which was his whole problem with it, really – this feels a little bit like _work_.

But Kisuke’s right in that he likes British history, and the fact that _Kisuke_ tried to find something he thinks Ichigo will like means a great deal to him. Especially when Ichigo remembers that Kisuke learnt English not even three days ago, just to surprise him with this trip.

They do in fact find the tour guide on time, and as they reach the first location, Ichigo’s pleasantly surprised to find the guide using a projector to display old photographs from the era. It’s much more impressive than he expected at first.

“It’s pretty cool,” he grins at Kisuke, who smiles back tentatively. “Thanks.”

The tour Kisuke booked starts at half at seven, which in late December translates to after dark. Nevertheless, it being the holiday season, the tour is crowded enough that Ichigo finds himself walking closer to Kisuke than is strictly necessary, their arms brushing against each other with every step.

Ichigo exhales, watching the white fumes spiral up into the sky.

“Problem back home?” he asks. Kisuke’s checking his denreishinki again.

Kisuke shakes his head immediately, but not in a way that makes Ichigo concerned. “No, Isane-san was just checking in,” he explains. “Ikkaku-san-seki has agreed to get himself assigned to an Outer Rukongai mission for the week so that neither he nor Zaraki-taichō will land himself in the Fourth before we get back.”

Ichigo stares up at Kisuke, for a moment so overwhelmed that he’s leaning in before he quite realised it, and for a moment he can’t seem to remember why it would be a bad idea to kiss Kisuke right there. And certainly Kisuke is leaning in, the smile on his face softening to something impossibly fond.

Their lips have scarcely met before Ichigo is pulling back, distracted.

“Do you… hear that?”

Kisuke blinks twice in quick succession. His gaze lifts from Ichigo’s mouth, focusing somewhere over his shoulder. The thing about being a shinigami, particularly a _good_ – and therefore alive – shinigami, is that there are certain sounds that will always catch their attention.

The cry of a Hollow is one such sound.

Ichigo spins around, straining his ears, and is rewarded with another faint echoing cry.

He blinks.

“Isn’t… that where the rest the tour group is?”

They’d lingered at the tail end of the group, earlier, so that they can catch a few seconds of alone time together. Ichigo doesn’t precisely regret it, but he’s starting to think it might not have been such a good idea.

“The Hollow’s inside a building?” Ichigo wonders, taking the stairs down three at a time. He’s certainly never seen one in a basement before, although he supposes that it’s always a possibility.

“That’s not a Hollow,” Kisuke says, following closely behind. “It’s a jibakurei.”

Ichigo very nearly misses a step. “What, an earthbound spirit?”

Kisuke catches him by the arm before he can go sprawling. “Yes. That would explain why we didn’t sense it earlier – a demi-Hollow is chained down, and remains quiescent when there are no humans in its territory.”

“Right.” Ichigo cracks his knuckles, pausing on the landing. Just beyond the doorway, he can see the tour guide pointing out something on the projection – a highly incongruous sight, given the demi-Hollow squinting furiously at the light shining in its eyes and thrashing against its chains.

The corners of Kisuke’s eyes are crinkled in amusement when Ichigo glances back at him. “So… are you doing the fainting damsel imitation, or shall I take care of it?”

Ichigo scowls. “It’s not like I brought Kon, or you your cane,” he points out. “Unless you’re hiding a Chappy in your pocket.” Although there’s a really terrible joke he could make about that…

Kisuke blinks slowly. “Ichigo,” he begins, “I know I seem to be omniscient and prepared for every eventuality, but even I don’t expect to be attacked by Hollows on our vacation in a _foreign country_.”

Ichigo groans, leaning closer to the projection as if trying to get a better look, but he’s in fact estimating the speed at which the chains are eroding on the demi-Hollow. One of the tourists jump when the struggling demi-Hollow nearly brushes her arm, and leans into her partner with a laugh.

“This is the last stop,” Kisuke murmurs into his ear. “We can linger at the back of the group again, sort it out before we head up.”

Ichigo nods in agreement. Kisuke’s gigai is designed to let him use kidō, which would take care of the demi-Hollow with less damage to their surroundings than, say, Zangetsu.

Indeed, it’s nothing a quick _Sai_ followed by a _Jūgeki Byakurai_ can’t handle. Watching the last motes of reishi vanish, Ichigo hums contemplatively. “I wonder if that’s Jack?” The spirit had been too far gone for any proper identification, but he could still see that it had been a human male once upon a time. For it to consider a place like this its territory, somewhere so closely tied to Jack the Ripper, suggests that it could’ve been either a victim or the killer – and all the victims had been female.

“Perhaps,” Kisuke agrees, turning to head up the stairs, his shoulder bumping companionably against Ichigo’s.

Side-by-side, they set off for their hotel.

**Author's Note:**

> > Although there’s a really terrible joke he could make about that…
> 
> For your reference, the joke is "Is that a Chappy in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" but for the life of me I can't manage to squeeze that line in.
> 
> Check out the [Ripper Vision tour they went on](https://thejacktherippertour.com/ripper-vision/).
> 
> [cywscross's UraIchi Discord server](https://discordapp.com/invite/ADFnKTZ#_=_) | [Starrie's fic sneak preview server](https://discord.gg/8yJVmbD) | [Starrie's Tumblr](http://starriewolf.tumblr.com/)


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